What a change

2018-12-16 - Written by Guillaume Charest

Translated on: 2019-11-30

November 2018, the diagnostic drops: my 8-year-old son has type 1 diabetes.

Change of reality

We received the news with emotion but also, I think, with resilience. It is difficult to see your child affected by a disease that takes control of his life. Although it is a relatively well-managed condition, the effects of the disease can be severe if left unattended.

In addition, I am lucky to be in a so-called developed society, but I always keep in mind that we are dependent on a private industry for the development of the insulin my son now needs to live. My academic and professional background leads me to remain vigilant here.

There are also many myths and beliefs about diabetes and it is not my intention to demystify all of those here. For more information, see the Diabetes Quebec website in the myths and statistics section. However, I would like to clarify at least one thing:

No, it is not possible to manage type 1 diabetes only by “eating well”, you need insulin treatment managed by a competent medical team.

There are several forms of diabetes and improvising yourself as a specialist can be very dangerous for the person affected (see the complications section on the Diabetes Quebec website). Always consult your medical team before making decisions based on information found on the web.

Change of routine

As parents, until our son is completely independent, we must now take into account all the food he eats in order to properly administer the insulin in his treatment. We must also carefully monitor the fluctuation of his blood sugar level to avoid hypoglycemia and minimize hyperglycemia. The first few weeks were quite a change in our routine for a family with three young children (2, 3 and 8 year old).

Calculating the exact amount of sugar in a meal requires a certain amount of care and a precise calculation method to be able to administer the right amount of insulin. It is also necessary to take many notes (blood sugar levels, meal sugar levels, insulin administered, etc.) in order to provide relevant information to the medical team for the adjustment of the treatment according to my son’s body.

In order to help us better manage repeated calculations, I have created a list of recipes (English coming soon) that we often do with an approximate glycemic factor. I also try to explain the method used to calculate the glycemic factor of the recipes for those who would like to know. Again, I encourage you to consult your medical team before using any information found on the web!